Eastman School of Music dean Lowry resigns

The dean of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester has resigned.

The university announced Monday that Douglas Lowry has stepped down for health reasons. Jamal Rossi, executive associate dean, will serve as dean while a national search takes place for Lowry's replacement, officials said.

As Lowry steps down, the board of trustees has named him the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean Emeritus and awarded him an honorary Doctor of Music degree, which was presented Monday.

“Doug has been an extraordinary leader of the Eastman School,” said Joel Seligman, UR president. “His legacy as the dean who led the school into the modernized Eastman Theatre, as a gifted composer and an accomplished musician who was an inspiration to Eastman’s faculty and students is now part of Eastman’s storied history.”

Provost Peter Lennie called Lowry a visionary leader who has "inspired a powerful sense of community within the Eastman School.”

The 62-year-old Lowry became the sixth head of the Eastman School when he took over in 2007. He led it through what university officials termed a transformational period, with a renovation of Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre and the construction of a new east wing of the school.

“Doug Lowry is not only an inspirational leader, he is first and foremost a remarkable musician,” Rossi raid. “His capacity to lead the Eastman School of Music while continuing to be an active composer grounds his vision for the future of music with tremendous substance and musical credibility.”